FAQ

Billing & Payments

Once you start the monthly membership, you'll only be billed one month at a time, and you can stop anytime as long as we get notice at least 3 days before the start of the next month.

If a monthly commitment isn't for you, you can even book one lesson at a time online, through our Book Now page.

Do you offer a free trial?

Not quite free, since we do pay our teachers for their time -- but if you sign up on our email list on the homepage, you'll get a special link to book your first lesson for just $10, which is $20 off the regular price!

If you decide to enroll with us after that, we'll apply that $10 as credit towards your first month, which *does* make it free! If for any reason you choose not to continue, there will be no more charges, and there's nothing to cancel.

If you just want to see the school or ask questions, you can also call Amy, our owner, at (512) 915-9800 to arrange a personal tour. (We don't have a full-time receptionist, so calling ahead is best.)

How do I set up auto-payments?

Step 1: When you receive your first emailed monthly invoice from us, open the link and click the "Pay Online" button.

Yes, there is a $39 one-time signup fee due on the first invoice when students start the monthly membership - which includes your first music book and a school t-shirt!

There's no registration fee for students who book lessons online, but there's also no way to guarantee you'll keep the same time slot.

(Note: In past years, we required a one-month deposit before starting monthly invoices. That deposit is no longer required.)

What if I start in the middle of a month?

For a student’s FIRST MONTH only, the charge will be based on the number of lessons remaining in the month when they start, so if a student starts on the second lesson of a five-lesson month, they will still be charged for four lessons, or a full month’s rate. All months after that will be the flat monthly rate, if you’re on a monthly billing plan. If you’re paying per-lesson and booking online, then it’s pretty self-explanatory – i.e., you pay per lesson.

Do you offer family discounts?

Yes! We offer a 5% monthly discount for parent-child or sibling combos, or for students taking multiple lessons (i.e. drums and guitar, or guitar and voice, etc). For two students taking half-hour lessons each week, that would be $12/month off!

Note: There’s no sibling discount for lessons booked online, so families with multiple students will save money by enrolling in the monthly membership.

Why is my invoice not the amount I expected?

Be sure to click on the link in the invoice email to read the itemized charges, since that will probably answer your question!

But... if you read the detailed charges and something still doesn’t seem right, feel free to email or call the office.

How do I cancel lessons permanently?

In order to cancel lessons, just notify us in email at least 3 days before the first lesson of the month, and we’ll stop all future charges. We’re sorry, but tuition is non-refundable once billed, so make sure to notify us before the beginning of the next month. If you cancel in the middle of a month after paying for that month, you will still get to use your remaining lessons, or we can help you save them for later (they will expire after six months).

SUPER IMPORTANT: If you’re on a monthly billing plan and want to stop taking lessons, DO NOT cancel your lessons through our online booking system! This won’t stop the monthly invoices, as our invoicing and scheduling are done through two different systems. If you want to stop all invoices and charges, you MUST notify us in email!

Late payment policies

We will try to work with our students, but communication is crucial!

Late Fees (16 days after invoice)

Invoices are sent on the first of the month, and a 10% late fee is added to invoices not paid by the 16th. We send email reminders on the 14th.

One Month Past Due (30 days after invoice)

If payment is not made within the month, and the next invoice is issued before the last one has been paid, you will receive an email letting you know that we still have not received payment, and we will try to contact you by phone as well. If you respond and we can work out a payment date, we’re happy to work with you! But if there is no payment and no response by 45 days, we move into…

Collections (45 days after invoice)

When payments are 45 days past due (a month and a half after the invoice is sent), and we’ve had no communication about payment, it goes into collections mode. At that point, we will add a $15 collections fee, remove the student from our schedule, and apply the deposit towards the past due balance. If you would like to re-enroll, the past due balance will need to be paid, along with a new deposit. Please help us by keeping payments current!

Makeups & Holidays

Do I get a makeup if I'm sick or have to cancel a lesson?

There are no refunds or makeups for cancelled lessons - but it’s easy to reschedule, as long as we get at least 24 hours’ notice! You can even reschedule the same lesson multiple times.

Unfortunately, lessons cancelled with less than 24 hours notice cannot be made up, since there's not enough time for us to re-book that spot.

How do I reschedule a lesson?

Just log into your account here at least 24 hours before lesson time, find the class you want to move, and click “reschedule.” Pick any open time with your same teacher, and you’re done! It’s that easy – and you’ll even get an email reminder 48 hours before your new class time in case you forget.

REMEMBER: Classes less than 24 hours away cannot be rescheduled or refunded, sorry!

What happens when a teacher has to cancel a lesson?

We really try not to, but sometimes life happens and we have no choice! If a teacher has to cancel a lesson —

We’ll notify students by email. If it’s short notice, we’ll try calling and texting as well. (Please make sure we have good phone numbers for you in case we need to reach you last-minute!)

We’ll cancel the lesson in our system and add a makeup code to your account, which will let you re-book that lesson at any other open time, with any teacher. Makeup codes will expire after six months.

First make sure you’re logged in correctly – then if you’re pretty certain you should have codes available, feel free to email us.

How do I know if I have makeups on my account?

Log in here. Once you’re logged in, you’ll see a list of all your upcoming booked lessons, and under that, you’ll see any valid codes on your account for makeups or lesson packages. It’ll also show you what the codes can be used for, and when they expire! If you don’t see any codes listed, that likely means one of these things:

You’re not actually logged in, or you’re logged in under a different email than the one that was first used to book the lessons.

First make sure you’re logged in correctly – then if you’re pretty certain you should have codes available, feel free to email us.

Can I get my same time slot back after a summer or holiday break?

If you’re paying monthly invoices and want to keep your weekly spot reserved until you return, you’ll need to continue making monthly payments, even during summer vacations or holiday breaks. Just remember to log in and reschedule those missed lessons for later, or use some of them to pay for recital fees!

Are you open on holidays?

The school doesn’t officially close for holidays, but the monthly tuition only covers 48 lessons per year. This means there are four weeks not included in the monthly tuition:

Some of our teachers choose to stay in town and teach during those weeks, though, so it's possible to use those weeks for makeup lessons, or to purchase additional single lessons. For all other holidays, including Memorial Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, etc, we are open as normal! If your teacher plans to be out those days, you’ll receive notice from us in advance, and a makeup code to re-book that lesson on another day.

What's your bad weather closure policy?

We will follow forecasts on weather.com to determine whether roads are safe enough to conduct lessons. Decisions on any given day to close the school will be made as early as possible, but no later than 11am. Check our Sense & Color Facebook Page to see the official word on closures. If there’s nothing posted there, we are open for lessons!

Note: Local schools being closed on a given day does not mean that we will automatically be closed! Most of our private lessons don’t start until afternoon, so if forecasts show significant improvement by that time, we’ll be open. Any lessons cancelled by us due to bad weather may be made up at a future time.

General Info

Do you offer private or group lessons?

We offer both! Our students gain musical prowess through weekly private, one-on-one sessions with a teacher, and our Rock Band Academy program offers exciting group band experiences and performances for various skill levels.

How often and where are lessons held?

Lessons are generally held once per week, in half hour or hour time slots, at our school. To make solid progress, we ask that students devote at least an hour a week to practice. The more, the better!

Should I take half-hour or hour lessons?

Most kids under 12 do best with half-hour lessons, while adults and teens can make faster progress with hour lessons. Many adults with busy schedules prefer the full hour, since they have less practice time at home. If you're not sure, we can always start with one and change later.

Do I need my own instrument?

You can borrow one of ours at first, but you'll need your own eventually, for practice at home. Also consider renting before buying! Rock and Roll Rentals in North Austin on Burnet is a great option. Rent a drum set, guitar, or bass for a month, try it out, and see what feels best!

How young can children start lessons?

Generally, the best age to start in private music lessons is about seven or eight years old, but we've had success with younger kids as well. However, with very young children, parents MUST be very involved in both lessons and practice time!

Do you offer practice space at the school?

We don't rent practice space specifically, but we do offer Guided Practice Sessions for Guitar, Bass, or Piano with one of our star students, Lauren! These sessions can be booked on our website for $9 per half hour, and Lauren will sit and practice with your student at the school, giving helpful suggestions and keeping them focused. She’s a student teacher, so her sessions are meant to be a supplement to your regular lessons, not a replacement.

Do you host recitals?

Absolutely! There’s no better way to grow as a musician than to perform live, and we encourage it as often as possible. We host recitals and rock band concerts for our students at least four times a year, in various Cedar Park and Austin venues. The recital fee is $30 per family, or students can use makeup lesson codes to pay for these as well, if they have them.

Sometimes the recitals are held at the same location and time as the student band concerts -- and in these cases, participants in the Student Band Program may play a solo piece in the recital portion at no additional cost.

What teaching curriculum do you use?

Every teacher is different, and will assign songs, workbooks, and exercises based on their preferred teaching methods and the student's skill level and musical tastes. We often ask students to suggest their own songs, in addition to music chosen by the teachers. That way, students have fun and stay motivated by music they already love, as opposed to being confined to what's laid out in a one-size-fits-all program.

What kind of instruments do you use at the school?

Electronic instruments are a godsend in small spaces! We use high-quality electronic drum kits and full-sized piano keyboards, and for all our string instruments, we have plenty of cables and amps available.

Rock Band Academy

What are the different band groups/levels?

Our Rock Band Academy has three groups open currently:

Rock Academy Headliners

By audition only, consisting of our most experienced students ages 12-18

All instruments and vocalists eligible

Rock Academy Openers

Open to all students ages 8-18 who are able to follow along in a group setting. No prior group experience required!

All instruments and vocalists eligible

Rock Academy Vocal Pop

Singers only, ages 8-18

Focusing on harmonies and fun vocal arrangements

Mostly pop and musical theater, performed with backing tracks or a capella

Can I join the band program without signing up for private lessons?

Generally, the answer here is no -- although for very advanced students, exceptions can be made. The student band program is meant to be a fun, interactive way for students to apply what they’re learning and gain real stage experience, but there isn’t time in weekly band rehearsals to help every band member learn proper technique and polish individual parts.

Guitar and bass players in the band program can sign up for private lessons with Michael Boyd, our band director, if they want to keep their group and private instruction with the same teacher -- or for students with other Sense & Color instructors, we'll take short videos to help them and their teachers work on band parts as needed.

By combining private lessons with the Rock Academy Program, students really grow as musicians, both individually and in their ability to work with others - and both are important!

Does the band program fee include private lessons?

No, the band program is separate from the private lessons, because it includes an extra hour per week of group rehearsal time. The band program is $99 per student, which includes all band practices and performances.

(Non-band members pay recital fees, but band members get that as part of the band cost!)

When and where are band practices held?

Band practice is held once per week, for an hour at the school. Currently, the vocal group meets on Tuesdays, Rock Academy One meets on Wednesdays, and the Headliners meet on Thursdays - although those days may be subject to change.

How old do you need to be to join the band program?

Currently, our Rock Band Academy is open to students age 8-18. There are future plans, however, for a younger class, as well as an adult group! If you're interested in one of these options, let us know by emailing us here.

How often are performances?

Our bands will close out the show at our school recitals, which will be four times per year - plus a few additional performances (for band members only) around the Cedar Park/Austin area. Dates and locations TBA!

Should singers join the Vocal Group, or the Rock Band?

Singers are welcome (and necessary) in all our rock band programs! If you dream of being the lead singer or a backup singer in a full band, then you'll want Rock Academy 1 or the Headliners group. If you love tight harmonies and singing as an ensemble, then the Vocal Pop group is for you. You can even do both if you want to!

How do I join the band?

Contact Amy or Tracy in the office and let us know whether you’re interested in the rock groups or the vocal pop group, and we’ll get you added to the program! Before your first group practice, we’ll book a one-on-one session with Michael or Amy Boyd to hear your playing (or singing) and determine the right group placement for you.